- 5mm thick Tochigi saddle leather
- Horse butt (bend) leather
- Vat dyed by hand in Natural Indigo
- Brass hardware
Our journey with Japanese Natural Indigo continues with what we deem will be your keys' new best friend. With the help of Inception's very capable hands, we were able to produce a limited run of these Horsehide Natural Indigo keyholders. Using Japanese Natural Indigo derived from the Indigofera plant that is native to Japan, the Persicaria Tinctoria, a powdered concentrate of the natural dye is produced by fermenting and then breaking down the leaves through a year-long process.
Horse Butt leather is essentially some of the toughest, hardest and most durable leather that money can buy. Taken from the rump of each horse, it is a finite resource that often commands a high price from leather wholesalers and tanners. Often confused with Shell Cordovan, the difference is Cordovan is sourced from the same rump area of the horse, but is further shaved down yielding the additional fiber layer beneath the horse butt leather.
Located just north of Tokyo, the saddle leather used for the production of these keyholders is sourced directly from the famed Japanese leather tanner, Tochigi Leather. Opting to use Bend (horse butt) leather which is known as a premium leather featuring firmness and durability, the leather cuttings are vegetable tanned for at least a month or longer than normal at the request of the brand - resulting in a leather that is full of character and packing that patina-potential. Additionally, the leather is dyed with the fibers intact, resulting in further rigidity. The leather goes through a process of glazing using a high-pressure iron after it has been dyed. Before being cut, the leather is smoothed out to a 5mm thickness.